situation room." the news continues next on cnn. hello, everyone. i'm don lemon. here's what's happening right now. a dramatic development tonight to tell you about in the standoff over iran's nuclear program. "the new york times" is reporting that iran has agreed to one-on-one talks with the united states. the report is attributed to white house officials and suggest that talks wouldn't begin until after the presidential election. "the times" describes this as a last-ditch development, diplomatic effort to avoid a military strike. it also comes just two days before the last presidential debate, one that will focus on foreign policy. cnn correspondents working our sources to confirm this report. we'll keep you updated on this story throughout the evening here on cnn. here's what else is

happening right now. two days of random shootings in southeastern michigan are bringing back memories of the sniper attacks in washington, d.c. ten years ago. 15 shootings targeting motorists have happened over 48 hours in the suburban detroit area, leaving many on edge. and so far, no one has been hurt, was there have been some close calls. investigators from three counties are taking part in the investigation. no arrests have been made. police in englewood, california, are searching for a gunman who opened fire on a family before setting fire to a nearby house. a 30-year-old dad and his 4-year-old son died in the early morning attack. the mother and their two young children remain in critical condition. police are now searching for a 55-year-old black man, who was last seen wearing a dark hat and painter's mask. some reports say the suspect was recently evicted from his home. in arizona, one person was killed and dozens injured after a bus full of australian tourists crashed into the arizona/nevada border.

authorities say the driver lost control of the bus and ran it into a ravine after he had a heart attack behind the wheel late friday night. the driver was killed, the bus is returning to las vegas after taking passengers on a tour of the grand canyon. the numbers are climbing higher in the deadly fungal meningitis outbreak. according to data released by the cdc, just a short time ago, 23 deaths are now tied to the outbreak. there are 284 total cases, including three joint infections. this week, the fda raided the company in massachusetts that is linked to the injections. most patients got sick after being given contaminated steroid injections used for back and neck pain. a u.n. envoy in damascus making the case for a territory cease-fire during a muslim holiday next week. but even as he makes a push for peace, there is word of yet another atrocity in syria. opposition groups say more than 80 bodies were discovered in a mass grave in the eastern city of deerazoer.

they were among 233 people found dead on friday. drivers in suburban detroit on edge tonight after a series of random highway shootings, spanning three different counties. over a two-day period. now, there have been at least 15 different incidents. witnesses have reported seeing a gunman traveling toward them in the opposite direction, firing shots. so far, no one has been hurt, but there have been some very close calls. for some, it's really eerily reminiscent of the sniper attacks that terrorized the washington, d.c., area ten years ago. >> thank god nobody's been shot, and no one's been hurt, but it brings back memories of the sniper and everything that's happening in d.c. >> i think it's crazy. people are getting shot at all over the place, the kids are scared, the parents are scared. someone's got to put a stop to it. >> know that we are coming for you. it's only a matter of time. >> that's a good point. for more now on these shootings,

we're joined on the phone by sheriff michael bushard in michigan. do you believe it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt? >> yes, obviously this person has no regard for human life or injuring other people given the number of times he's done this, and i say "he," because we don't know if it's more than one perpetrator or if it's male or female at this point. but obviously they have no concern about shooting randomly. it's very clearly randomly, and we have two more to add to the count now. we've confirmed the at 17 at this point. all still in the same timeline, between is 16th of october, 7:00 p.m., to the 18th of october, at about almost the same time. so, yeah, we want to get this guy. chief goodline, the great chief there, and a good partner, spoke it well. we're coming for him. >> so sheriff, what should people know? because this is pretty frightening, if you're driving -- anyone coming towards you with a gun, but if you're driving, it's harder to duck or

get out of the way. what should people know in that area? >> well, you know, a, it's very typically a safe area, and actually, all these areas where it's happened, it's happened in three counties. it's moved into livingston and ingham. it's really not something specific other than you know we would tell you all the time, be aware of your surroundings. notice things that are odd. if somebody starts to roll down the window near you or towards you or you see something coming out of a window, it's not necessarily always opposing traffic, we don't know that for a fact yet. one individual was actually taking out his garbage and the guy -- the vehicle came towards him and shot at him. so just be aware of your surroundings. i wouldn't altar yoer your rout but be noticing things. don't be afraid to come to the police if you notice something. it could be that one piece of the puzzle we're missing. >> sheriff, thank you very much. sheriff bouchard, it was 15 shootings, different incidents,

now it's 17, we're just learning, directly from the sheriff. again, our thanks to the sheriff here. moving on now, lance armstrong does not want his supporters to stop fighting cancer, even though he's no longer the face of the group he founded 15 years ago. the group is called liv eed liv. the seven-time tour de france winner stepped down as the live strong chairman just this week as his doping scandal got louder. and at about the same time, most of his biggest sponsors cut their ties. nike, radio shack, trek, anheuser-busch, they all jumped off the armstrong bandwagon this week. but support for the live strong foundation remains very high now. let's go live now to austin and cnn's victor blackwell is there. victor, you are with people who are sticking by the livestrong organization. how are they keeping separate support from the group, from the scandal that disgraced the man behind it? >> reporter: don, for the women i just spoke, it's not difficult at all. in fact, they all call

themselves lance armstrong supporters, whether he indeed doped or not during the tour de france competitions. they're all members of an organization called team survivor. all cancer survivors, all very active in dance and cycling and yoga and swimming and all types of activities, and we have two members of team survivor with us here now. we have paula ivy, who is a 25-year colon cancer survivor and also gena ann booth, who is a 3 1/2 year breast cancer survivor. you both have on the bracelets. let me see the live strong bracelets here. and we spoke about lance armstrong as it relates to the organization and how this has changed your perception of him. how has it? even if he did dope during the tour de france competitions? >> well, from my perspective, the jury's completely out, right? there are lots of allegations, but i've never seen any proof. so doping or not doping, from the cancer side of things, lance has done more for cancer survivors than anybody in the entire world. and that kind of creation of the live strong foundation, the

survivorship services that are provided for all of us, the funding of research, i mean, he used his story and this has accomplishments to create something that's better for all of us. so i wish he hadn't stepped down. >> and paula, when we spoke a few moments ago, i told you that there's some people who supported the organization, individuals, not just corporations, who say this they were fooled. they were duped and they want their money back. and you had really strong reaction to that. >> yeah. i feel like the livestrong organization is for cancer survivorship, so if they're asking for their money back, they're asking for money back that's supporting cancer survivorship. i feel like it's not well placed. so i feel like that's sad that they would feel that strongly, that the livestrong foundation has such a significant and important role it's playing in cancer survivorship now, i hope everyone recognizes that and continues to support it. >> reporter: and these ladies still call themselves lance armstrong supporters.

>> reporter: all right, victor blackwell, gena, and paula, thank you very much. those doping allegations never went away, despite the fact that he never failed a drug test. listen to what he told a cancer survivor's group in austin yesterday. >> this mission is bigger than me. it's bigger than any individual. there's 28 million people around the world living with this disease. martin luther king said once, he said, we must accept finite disappointment. but never lose infinite hope. yes. this team behind me on this stage has infinite hope. the people in this room have infinite hope. >> well, lance armstrong can still count on his a-list friends to stand by him for now. >> you've been a proud supporter of this organization for many

years. has anything changed for you in the last days? >> in the last days? no, i think it's an organization that was developed by somebody who's been an enormous inspiration to so many and to myself and has done an incredible amount of good and i expect it will continue to. >> and i want you to stay with cnn, because coming up later, tonight at 10:00, really, a big dollar donor to the livestrong organization wants his money back. he feels he's ripped off and he blames lance armstrong for that. and he's going to tell me the reasons why and the man is angry. so that later, tonight at 10:00 here on cnn. just 17 days until the presidential election. and up next, the candidates' running mates are shifting into overdrive in key battleground states. [ male announcer ] this is sheldon, whose long dy setting up the news

starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news.

wanted to provide better employee benefits while balancing the company's bottom line, their very first word was... [ to the tune of "lullaby and good night" ] ♪ af-lac ♪ aflac [ male announcer ] find out more at... [ duck ] aflac! [ male announcer ] ...forbusiness.com. [ yawning sound ] keys, keys, keys, keys, keys. ♪ well, he's not very handsome ♪ to look at [ sighs ] ♪ oh, he's shaggy ♪ and he eats like a hog [ male announcer ] the volkswagen jetta. available with advanced keyless technology. control everything from your pocket, purse, or wherever. that's the power of german engineering. ♪ that dirty, old egg-suckin' dog ♪ at meineke i have options... like oil changes starting at $19.95. my money. my choice. my meineke.

17 days. 17 days left until the election and two days until the last presidential debate. president obama is hunkered down at camp david today, preparing for the debate. mitt romney is out of sight as well. he's in florida, getting ready for the debate. they're running mates hit battleground states today, though. congressman paul ryan stumped in ohio. vice president joe biden campaigned in st. augustine, florida. a battleground florida. that state looks like a virtual tie right now. a new cnn/orc international poll finds 49% of likely florida voters support romney, 48% support president obama. the one-point difference is within the poll's margin of error. president obama and mitt romney scrambling to pull ahead in the race for florida's 29 electoral votes, of course.

well, vice president joe biden zeroed in on florida today. biden stumped, as i said, in st. augustine and hit on some very familiar themes, like education, health care, women's issues. our political reporter, shannon travis, has more on biden's day now. >> reporter: don, the obama campaign is going after the woman's vote, maybe even the baby's vote. more on that in just a moment. but vice president biden just finished up a short while ago a rally here in st. augustine, florida. this is his third rally here in florida over the last two days. you can bet that one of the key issues that vice president biden talked about, women's issues. he talked about, he referenced that comment from governor romney in the last debate about binders. take a listen and look closely at what happened. >> when governor romney was asked a direct question in the last debate about equal pay for women, he started talking about binders.

binder. >> now, there's obviously a lot of talk about binders. the obama campaign seriously feels like this is a winning issue for them. this issue of equal pay for equal work for men and for women. the romney campaign, on the other hand, feels like this talk about binders makes the president look small. let me read a statement from the romney campaign. "four years ago, candidate obama said the following -- if you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as somebody people should run away from." the statement goes on to say, "with no record to run on and no agenda for a second term, president obama has become the type of candidate that he once decried." that from the romney campaign. meanwhile, there was one other political attack that vice president biden made here at his rally. take a listen at this. >> like that beautiful baby over there. i don't -- i don't blame her for crying. i don't blame that baby for crying.

that baby, that baby, that baby knows what's in store for him or her if romney wins. >> reporter: next up for vice president biden, ohio, ohio, ohio. three days there and on tuesday, he will make a rare joint appearance with president obama. don? >> shannon travis, thank you, sir. the race is also tight in battleground ohio, where shannon just mentioned, a new fox -- a fox news poll found 46% of likely ohio voters support president obama. 43% support mitt romney. ohio has 18 electoral votes. presidential candidate paul ryan zig zagged to ohio and pennsylvania today. a few hours ago, mr. ryan campaigned in belmont, ohio. earlier, he worked the crowds in pennsylvania. he focused his remarks on rebuilding the economy and job creation. >> we are not going to duck these tough issues. we're going to run at our country's economic and physical problems before they get out of our control. that's what leaders do. and when you look at the engine

of economic growth and job creation in this country, it's small businesses. it's risk takers. it's entrepreneurs. it's the workers that work overtime to make those small businesses work and succeed. we're going to champion these small businesses. we're not going to keep taxing these small businesses and regulating them and spending us into a debt crisis. >> well, ryan also got into the local spirit in pennsylvania. he waved a terrible towel for pittsburgh steelers fans. the last debate between president obama and mitt romney happens monday night and you can watch the showdown live right here on cnn, 7:00 p.m. eastern our coverage starts. an estimated 5.8 million people don't have the right to vote. a new book called "the new jim crow" argues some former inmates carry a label for life, denied their basic rights as an american. we're going to talk to the author, you don't want to miss it, next. [ male announcer ] this is steve.

he loves risk. but whether he's climbing everest, scuba diving the great barrier reef with sharks, or jumping into the market, he goes with people he trusts,

which is why he trades with a company that doesn't nickel and dime him with hidden fees. so he can worry about other things, like what the market is doing and being ready, no matter what happens, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense, from td ameritrade.

i want everyone to sit down and listen to this, even if you think it might be beyond what you're normally interested in, you should know this. i have an appalling statistic for you. the u.s. has about 5% of the world's population, 5%, but as nearly a quarter of its prisoners. and even on the outside,

ex-felons aren't really free. in many states, they can't vote or exercise other rights that most of us take for granted, even after they pay their debt to society, so to speak. and our next guest calls this part of the new jim crow, the new jim crow law, that have left millions of people, especially minorities, out of the electoral process. michelle alexander is a professor at the ohio state university and the author of "the new jim crow: mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness." this is my book, it's dog eared, i think this is a must-read, everyone should be required to read this book. thank you for coming on and thank you for writing this book. >> well, thank you. >> you talk about how many minorities find themselves in the same position as their grandparents, deprived of their civil rights. who do you blame for the situation or what do you blame? >> well, it has been a

bipartisan adventure. the war on drugs and the get-tough movement is responsible for millions of people being swept into our nation's prisons and jails. people are swept in, typically at young ages, often before they're old enough to vote, swept in for relatively minor crimes, typically. nonviolent, drug-related offenses, swept in, then branded criminals and felons, and then released into a parallel social universe in which many of the basic civil and human rights supposedly won in the civil rights movement, no longer apply to them. like the right to vote. >> people will say, okay, so what are we supposed to do? are we not supposed to fight a war on drugs? are we not supposed to put people in jail or prosecute them for drug violations? >> well, drugs were illegal before the war on drugs was declared. we declared a literal war on poor communities of color and we

did so at a time when drug crime was actually on the decline, not on the rise. president ronald reagan declared his drug war in 1982, at a time when drug crime was actually on the decline, not on the rise. the war on drugs from the outset had much more to do with politics, including racial politics than any genuine concern about drug addiction or drug abuse. this drug war has been waged almost exclusively in poor communities of color, even though studies have consistently shown now for decades that contrary to popular belief, people of color are no more likely to use or sell illegal drugs than whites. >> and michelle -- >> but in some states -- >> i just want to get this in. i get your point. you think that is sort of a misconception in society. and actually, it's higher among whites than it is among minorities, according to statistics in your book. but let's talk about, let's focus on this now, the election.

so much has been talked about, voter suppression, voter rights. so the people who are convicted felons who come out, for some times very serious crimes, critics would say these aren't victims. why should they be allowed to vote, after they have, so-called, paid their debt to society? >> well, voting is a right of citizenship. it shouldn't be forfeited because you once made a mistake, years ago or decades ago. there are states in the united states today where you forfeit your right permanently, because of a felony you once were convicted of in your life. voting should be deemed a right, an absolute, inalienable right. in other western democracies, the idea that, you know, you can be deprived of your right to vote because you once committed a crime is, you know, considered laughable. there are actually voting drives conducted in prisons and other western democracies.

but here in the united states, you can be deprived of your right to vote for a period of years or even the rest of your life. >> i should say that the naacp launched a campaign this month to restore voting rights to ex-felons, and it's going to be interesting to watch that one, but i want to be more specific about this election. you have seen the efforts to, what some people call voter suppression. some people say it's to protect the voting process, by asking people to show identification. is that voter suppression or is it protecting the voter process? >> oh, it's absolutely voter suppression. no doubt about it. one of the reasons these cases have been thrown out in courts across the country, i mean, these laws have been thrown out in courts across the country is because they haven't been able to come up with a shred of evidence that the voting process has been abused, by the lack of i.d. and the part of individuals. so, really, you know, these voter i.d. laws, much like felon

disenfranchisement laws, are an attempt to exclude from the political process, poor people, impoverished people, and people of color. and we have seen these tactics over and over again. they were part of the are jim crow poll taxes and literacy tests, style disenfranchisement tactics and we see them resurrected today in new form. >> michelle, we're out of time. but i want to thank you for coming on. and we will have you back again. the book is called "the new jim crow" and i would suggest that everyone, everyone read this book. it really -- it was very helpful to me and you taught me a lot. thank you. appreciate you coming on. >> thank you. some say it reminds them of the d.c. sniper shootings. right now police are looking for the person they say shooting at vehicles along a michigan highway. and ole miss makes history. i'm going to talk to the school's first african-american homecoming queen. now, that's what i call a test drive.

silverado! the most dependable, longest lasting, full-size pickups on the road. so, what do you think? [ engine revs ] i'll take it. [ male announcer ] it's chevy truck month. now during chevy truck month, get 0% apr financing for 60 months or trade up to get the 2012 chevy silverado all-star edition with a total value of $8,000. hurry in before they're all gone! if we want to improve our schools... ... what should we invest in? maybe new buildings?

what about updated equipment? they can help, but recent research shows... ... nothing transforms schools like investing in advanced teacher education. let's build a strong foundation. let's invest in our teachers so they can inspire our students. let's solve this.

it's the bottom of the hour. we'll get you caught up on the headlines right now. new developments in the story that we told you about at the top of this newscast. the white house has just released a statement, denying a report that iran has agreed to one-on-one talks over its

nuclear program. "the new york times" first reported the agreement on negotiations, but a spokesman for the national security council says that report is not true. he added that the u.s. still wants to work on a diplomatic solution, and that president obama will do whatever it takes to stop iran from getting a nuclear weapon. keep you updated on this story throughout the evening here on cnn. a big mystery unfolding in southeastern michigan. authorities are searching for one or more shooters who are randomly targeting drivers in suburban detroit. now, we confirm this hour that 17 incidents have taken place over two days in three separate counties. witnesses describe the shooter as driving a black ford mustang with blue tinted front lights and a racing stripe down the middle. so far, no arrests have been made. congressman jesse jackson jr.'s emotional phone call marks the first time we've heard from him in months, since he revealed his struggle and treatment for bipolar disorder and depression. jackson's recorded call to

constituents in his illinois district asked for their patience and for their support. >> after my family, my constituents are the most important people in the world to me. i will always act in your best interests. your patience, your prayers, and your support during this difficult time mean more to me than you will ever know. with your help, your patience, and god's grace, we will continue to work together to strengthen our communities, provide a better future for our children, and leave the world better than we found it. thank you and god bless you all. >> jesse jackson jr. reportedly has returned to the mayo clinic for more treatment. he's been absent from work since june. he's also facing other challenges beyond his health. a federal law enforcement official confirms to cnn that the fbi and federal prosecutors are investigating jackson for possible financial improprieties. a ship trying to break the

sea blockade didn't make it to shore. the passengers were trying to call attention to the plight of people living in the palestinian territories. israeli officials praise the operation. critics say the ship was in international waters at the time. israel and egypt have enforced a blockade of gaza since 2007. the university for mississippi, you know it as ole miss, well, the school has just made history right now. 50 years after integrating, the school has elected its first african-american homecoming queen. i'm going to talk to her next. there she is live, giving her queen wave. her royal wave. others. okay guys, here we go. everybody say, 'cheeeeeeeee-eeeeeese'.

got it. everyone in the nicu, all the nurses wanted to watch him when he was there 118 days. everything that you thought was important to you changes in light of having a child that needs you every moment.

i wouldn't trade him for the world. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us. if you're caring for a child with special needs, our innovative special care program offers strategies that can help. to compete on the global stage. what we need are people prepared for the careers of our new economy. by 2025 we could have 20 million jobs without enough college graduates to fill them. that's why at devry university, we're teaming up with companies like cisco to help make sure everyone is ready with the know-how we need for a new tomorrow. [ male announcer ] make sure america's ready. make sure you're ready.

at devry.edu/knowhow. ♪ to provide a better benefits package... oahhh! [ male announcer ] it made a big splash with the employees. [ duck yelling ] [ male announcer ] find out more at... [ duck ] aflac! [ male announcer ] ...forbusiness.com. ♪ ha ha! all right. 50 years after african-american student james meredith walked into the all-white campus of the university of mississippi, the student body has crowned their first african-american homecoming queen. can you imagine, 2012, it's the

first time. courtney pearson, there she is, a lovely young lady, and she is making her mark right now, current proof that change is possible, even if it takes 50 years to happen. courtney pearson joins me now live from mississippi. we have been talking during the commercial break, and she's an exceptional young lady. let's say that. so, first of all, congratulations to you. >> thank you so much. >> yeah. so what was going through your head the moment that you heard the words that you were going to be queened and then they put the crown on your head? >> oh, i absolutely could not believe it. it was a wonderful, wonderful moment. it was a moment i'll always remember. my mom was screaming and jumping up and down. it was amazing. we couldn't contain the excitement. >> yeah. it's even more important to you, because several of your family members went to ole miss. so, you becoming homecoming queen, they just must be ecstatic. >> oh, they are. they are in love. they are so proud of their alma

mater and they're so proud of me. so there's a lot of good feelings going around. >> yeah. there have been african-american candidates before. why do you think that you're the one who won? >> i really just think that the student body is just growing and it's progressing and they're really looking at the character of a person and they're just showing how wonderful, how wonderful of a university that we are. and they looked at me and saw something in me that said that they wanted me to represent them. and it was a great feeling. >> so let's talk about everything here. you said we can ask you anything, right? >> sure. >> right? so -- >> sure. >> so you know the typical look for a homecoming queen, especially an ole miss homecoming queen -- i went to college in the south, and i know what that's like, you don't look like that in the sense of, you're not, you know, a size 2 and blond. what do you think that means? do you think that you are making a difference for people who are,

you know, as we say, bigger girls, who can -- may have more confidence in themselves, if they say that you can go on and become homecoming queen, they can be more comfortable with their bodies and not try to maintain a size zero or a size 1, 2, or 3? >> oh, absolutely. i think it just tells people to just be who you are and be proud of who you are and make sure that people are accepting of who you are. don't try to be anything that you're not and go out there and be the best person that you absolutely can be. and you can achieve anything that you want to. >> mm-hmm. you can be any size, if you're healthy, and be beautiful, right? >> absolutely. absolutely. beauty is so amazing. you know, there's obviously outer beauty, but there's definitely inner beauty as well. and that's so important. and as long as that beauty is shining through, that's the only thing that matters. >> how have people reacted -- very well put, by the way. how have people reacted to you becoming homecoming queen, being crowned queen on campus or in mississippi? >> the university of mississippi, both the faculty and staff and the student body

has been just absolutely wonderful. i've heard nothing but good things from them. taking up for me, saying, this is our representative, this is our homecoming queen. we're proud of her. we love her. and it's just been such a welcoming and humbling experience to get so much love from the university of mississippi. >> mm-hmm. and outside, it's been -- it's been okay, right? >> it's been okay. absolutely. i mean, there's things out there, but i'll absolutely have the best experience i could possibly have. absolutely. >> there's a picture here, and i have just been informed of my producers, is this you with james meredith, the guy in the red shirt? >> in the red shirt, yes, that is. >> that is? >> yes. >> what was the man to integrate ole miss, you're the first homecoming queen. i mean, what was going through your head? >> it was just amazing. he's -- i've met him right after i won a couple of days later. in the skybox with the chancellor, and it was just a

wonderful opportunity to just be in his midst and be able to personally tell him thank you and to see him again for homecoming and to take a picture with him. it was really -- it was just a wonderful moment for me to be able to just say thank you and really be in his presence. >> yeah. >> and be able to be -- have him be proud of me. that's a huge thing for me. >> i think you're amazing and i think more people should get to know you and they can reach out to you, do you mind if i give your twitter address so they can tweet their congratulations to you? >> not at all. not at all. >> it's @pearson_ality. >> that's right. >> thank you. congratulations. best of luck to you, all right? >> thank you so much. i appreciate it. >> i can't wait for you to be president of the united states. >> bye. >> bye. new voter i.d. laws have sparked an intense battle over who counts. now questions are being asked about the message behind billboards in swing states,

warning against voter fraud. capella university understands businesses are trying to come back from rough economic times. employees are being forced to do more with less. and the need for capable leaders is greater than ever. when you see these problems do you take a step back, or do you want to dive right in? with a degree in business from capella university, you'll have the knowledge to go further in your career than you ever thought possible. let's get started at capella.edu ♪ ♪ ♪

[ male announcer ] at&t. the nation's largest 4g network. now covering 3000 more 4g cities and towns than verizon. at&t. rethink possible.

at meineke i have options... like oil changes starting at $19.95. my money. my choice. my meineke.

as election day approaches, a lot of people are wondering if potential voter fraud will taint the election. but some people question if the whole issue has been overblown. cnn's joe johns has been examining voter fraud for us and here's an update. >> don, you might think voter fraud is a massive problem, given all the attention it's getting this year, despite the

fact that a justice department study said it was an issue in far less than 1% of votes cast between 2002 and 2005. so are new ads about voter fraud intended to inform voters or intimidate them? voter fraud is a felony. billboards with this simple and factual message are stirring up controversy in two battleground states. here's why voting rights activists like eric marshall are upset. >> yes, voter fraud is a felony, but it's the way they're being displayed, the fact that they're in almost exclusively areas or around areas that are predominantly african-american or latino. it sends a message to those communities, there's a problem with your voting. >> reporter: the billboards have been popping up in cities in ohio and wisconsin, 85 in milwaukee, 30 in columbus, another 30 in cleveland, and 31 in cincinnati. >> take it down! >> reporter: protests started almost as soon as they went up, demanding the signs come down. >> this billboard is nothing but a symbol of pure, unadulterated voter suppression, to target an

african-american community. >> reporter: but the two advertising companies that sold the space, clear channel and norton outdoor, say the buyer was not out to target minorities. >> there was no requests for any specific demographic target at all. they wanted the best locations they could get for those four weeks leading up to the election. >> reporter: the big mystery is, who's behind them? the billboard itself does not tell. it reads, "paid for by a private family foundation" and neither company will say who that is. after declining an on-camera interview, here's what clear channel wrote to cnn. "the advertiser put into the contract to remain anonymous. it is our policy to require advertisers, including political advertisers, to have disclaimers, which identify them. unfortunately, that policy was not followed in this case. but marshall sees that as a red flag. >> no one's stepping forward and taking responsibility for these billboards and explaining the reason why. and that's part of the problem. if these were innocuous, why would you specifically negotiate

in your contract with clear channel a confidentiality clause to stay hidden? >> reporter: but bottom line, mike norton, whose family owns norton outdoors, sees nothing wrong with the content of the ads. >> the things we stipulate from political advertisers is, a, that they're accurate, and b, they're not political attack ads. and this fell well within the realm of reason on both of those benchmarks. >> the billboards are scheduled to be up through election day and neither company has any plans to take them down before then. voting rights groups have raised $30,000 to put up their own billboards in cleveland and milwaukee, encouraging everyone to vote. don? >> all right. joe, thank you. make sure you watch joe's documentary. it's called "voters in america: who counts?" tonight at the top of the hour 8:00 eastern right after this newscast. another hot-button issue on the campaign trail, how can america break its addiction to coal and oil? fareed zakaria's team traveled around the world to look at renewable energy and natural gas and they found what's often called the fifth fuel

efficiency. take a look. >> reporter: trains, planes, and automobiles burn over 13 million barrels of oil every day in the united states. and we spend over $1 billion per day buying that oil, almost half of which comes from foreign countries, some of whom are considered national security problems. >> weaning ourselves off oil saves about $4 trillion at present value in the united states alone. that money then stays at home. >> reporter: so, lovins reasoned, what if we wasted less fuel getting gas to the wheels? and he designed the hypercar, which could weigh about two-thirds less than a normal car and could run up to an astonishing 240 miles per hour. >> global lessons, a gps road map for powering america airs sunday night, 8:00 and 11:00 eastern here on cnn. spilling secrets about the

town hall presidential debate. wait until you hear what debate moderator candy crowley had to say when she answers questions from ireporters. [ male announcer ] citi turns 200 this year. in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ it's called passion. and it's not letting up anytime soon. at unitedhealthcare insurance company, we understand that commitment. so does aarp,

serving americans 50 and over for generations. so it's no surprise millions have chosen an aarp dicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, it helps cover some of what medicare doesn't pay. to find out more, call today.

. she not only moderated the second presidential debate, she was part referee. cnn's candy crowley talks questions from ireporters about the experience. >> the face-offs, they did not let each other go. they kind of circled each other. it was this very kind of powerful moment when you thought, whoa, everybody came to play today. i'm candy crowley, i'm going to answer your ireport questions. >> how hard was it for you to keep the candidates' time limit? did it make you feel strange or did it make you feel powerful? >> it didn't make me feel powerful. there were just times when i thought, you know, you need to listen here. it was difficult to keep them on time because, for instance, if you go back to the gas tax

question, it was way over the budget of time. they were interested in it and they were engaged in it. and so in the end they were just kind of decisions i made in the moment, like, this is going, i don't want to just say, i'm sorry, your two minutes are up, when the two of them are engaging in an actual conversation. so another question -- what did you think of romney's binders full of women group? >> i went to women's groups and sid, can you help us find folk snz they brought us binders full of women. >> let me tell you something, while we're all sitting there on the debate stage, there is entire world of conversations going on that we are unaware of, on facebook, on twitter. it was not one of those things that registered at all to me, as it was going on. clearly it became quite the facebook and twitter point of conversation. >> do you think that a town hall style forum provided more insight into both of the

candidates than the more traditional format? >> they're really different species, the town hall and the sit-down debate with a moderator. i kind of like both actually. certainly a town hall format requires that the candidates at least try to engage with the person that is asking them the question. so maybe you learn a little bit more about how they engage with other people. in some ways, the sit-down, i think any journalist would say, i could have pounded them about this, that question, this question. you clearly don't have that because these town hall people came and had questions. >> seeing how well you did with the last debate, if you could do another debate with any two people in the world? who would it be? >> i'd do it again today with president obama and governor romney. i actually thought it was fun. i'd bring back all those town hall people who didn't get their questions asked.

it was so in the moment, and i loved that part of it. >> great job, candy. great job. day care programs in high schools? it's part of a growing effort to keep teen parents in school. we'll show you how it's working in one city. ♪ [ male announcer ] this is karen and jeremiah. they don't know it yet, but they're gonna fall in love, get married, have a couple of kids, [ children laughing ] move to the country, and live a long, happy life together where they almost never fight about money. [ dog barks ] because right after they get married, they'll find some retirement people who are paid on salary, not commission.

they'll get straightforward guidance and be able to focus on other things, like each other, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. anne's tablet called my phone. anne's tablet was chatting with a tablet in sydney... a desktop in zurich... and a telepresence room in brazil. the secure cloud helped us get some numbers from my assistant's pc in new york. and before i reached the top, the board meeting became a congrats we sold the company party. wait til my wife's phone hears about this. [ cellphone vibrating ] [ female announcer ] with cisco at the center, working together has never worked so well.

there is no doubt that being a mother in high xl can be difficult. but it's getting easier now for teen moms at a high school in richmond, virginia. athena jones has more in an

effort to keep teen parents in school. teen mom alexis barbie has big goals. >> i would like to be a nurse or a lawyer. >> reporter: but when she got pregnant at 16, she feared she'd have to put them on hold. >> i thought that, am i going to be able to go to school every day. who will be there to watch my child? like, am i going to be able to finish my -- i had a lot going through my mind. >> reporter: now she brings her 9-month-old daughter with her to her richmond, virginia, high school. while alexus goes to class, her daughter goes to day care downstairs. alexus also gets parenting classes, which includes spending time at the day care. the program is funded with local and federal dollars. administrators here at armstrong high school hope this program will help graduation rates. just 38% of teen girls who have a child before age 18 get a high school diploma. armstrong's high program is a win-win for teens liking alexus, says her principal. >> just to think back, i've known alexus for four years and

this is such a different mature, type of student who really wants to get her high school diploma so the child care lab affords her that opportunity. >> reporter: while it's unknown exactly how many high schools offer day care, these programs are available in states across the country. studies show that providing teen mothers with access to child care at school not only increases their likelihood of graduating, it also lowers the chance they'll have another child while in high school. when do you think you'll have another child? >> when i get my own place and when i finish school and i have a good job. >> reporter: but some critics say these programs are not a good use of taxpayer dollars. >> it's something that we should be looking to charitable organizations, philanthropists, lots of people who are interested in these things, to fund it. >> reporter: on the contrary says this woman. she believes the program is invaluable. >> the data for parents who don't graduate from high school is going to be a ripple negative